Sky watchers could be in for a very special treat tonight, when debris from Halley’s Comet attempts to bombard our atmosphere.
This debris from the comet enters earth’s atmosphere & will lights up the sky as shooting stars and the ‘Orionid Meteor Shower,’ is indeed one of the most beautiful meteor showers of the year.
The best time to see these ‘Orionids,’ will be just after midnight tonight, through until Monday morning (October 21st to 22nd), but they have already been visible in the past few days and possibly will continue visible after the aforementioned peak, once our sky remains clear and dark. Same are expected to appear at the rate of up to 25 per hour or more.
These ‘Orionid Meteors,’ can glow very brightly and can sometimes burn so brightly that they produce fireballs. With no great moonlight, like tonight, casting a glare in the night sky they should be easily visible.
These Orionid meteors will appear mainly to originate from the constellation Orion in our eastern sky’s, but may be visible anywhere in the firmament above & bright enough to be observed with the naked eye, so no telescopes or binoculars will be needed.
David Moore, Chairman of Astronomy Ireland explains: “Sometimes large pieces of debris enter the atmosphere and flare up extremely brightly as fireballs – these can often land on the ground.”
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